Handful of visitors enjoy the Schooner Ernestina in the rain

Monday

Jul 28, 2014 at 12:01 AMJul 29, 2014 at 12:21 PM

Nicolau Dias, 68, worked as an engineer on the Schooner Ernestina long before she became an educational ship. It was a special moment for him to stand on the deck Sunday when it was opened to the public.

AUDITI GUHA

NEW BEDFORD — Nicolau Dias, 68, worked as an engineer on the Schooner Ernestina long before she became an educational ship. So it was a special moment for him to stand on the deck Sunday when it was opened to the public for a few hours next to State Pier.

"Oh, I like it very much," said the New Bedford resident looking up at the stately masts of Massachusetts' state vessel. He said he sailed to all the Cape Verdean islands in the 1960s.

His son Emanuel Dias, 46, treasurer of the Cape Verdean Association that maintains a history of the vessel, said it was his first time aboard and it was special because his father had worked on it.

"We are proud to have the boat here in New Bedford and hope she sails again," he said.

Officials on board said they hoped that's what the open hours help achieve — educate people about the historic ship and raise $1 million over three years to help it sail again.

"We definitely want to see her sailing," said Commissioner Fred Sterner. "There is an old saying: Boats and sailors rot at the dock."

While the vessel looks to be in pretty good shape and has new masts, it still needs a lot of work — from a new aft deck to the transom, said Mary Anne McQuillan from the Schooner Ernestina Morrissey Association Inc., the nonprofit formed to fundraise for it. They have already raised $300,000, she said.

Launched on Feb. 1, 1894, in Essex, the Ernestina was part of Wonton Fish Co. fleet, sailing out of Gloucester to the Grand Banks for cod. The vessel later worked as an Arctic explorer and Navy survey vessel, and in 1947 became a packet ship, visiting the ports of Providence and New Bedford from Cabo Verde. The ship was returned to the U.S. as a gift of the Cabo Verde government in 1982.

With crowds that in no way rivaled those of the Charles W. Morgan, the state's official vessel fascinated the handful of visitors that braved the rain.

Seven-year-old Thomas Klimack from Albany, New York, said he liked learning about the history and being on board. He and his father were among the visitors.

"Wish I saw more people here," Stephen Klimack said.

Deckhand Becca Buckler from the Oliver Hazard Perry, a Rhode Island-built tall ship, brought a team of sea cadets on board.

"It's great to see a historic ship still floating and I wish she was still sailing," she said, on board for the first time.

Although it closed early Sunday due to the weather, the ship will be open to the public every Thursday in August "to really raise awareness for the Ernestina and get the funding we need," said Leah Burns, state Department of Conservation and Recreation park interpreter, who regaled visitors with stories from the vessel's past.

"It's a great history lesson and a lot of people don't know what they have in their backyard. Even those who do, it's a more personal experience when you can come on board."

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The Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association, Inc. has pledged to contribute a total of $1 million over three years toward the cost of rebuilding the Ernestina so she can sail again and serve the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in an educational capacity. A story in Monday's paper incorrectly stated the association's financial plans. Also, Commissioner Fred Sterner said "There is an old saying: boats and sailors rot at the dock." A word in his quote was incorrect in the story.